As
a fund-raising campaign
faltered during the
recession of 2007-08, the
Town of Smithfield took
out loans of $4.5 million
and $3 million from First
Citizens Bank to finish
financing for the
Recreation and Aquatics
Center (SRAC) built as a
joint project of the town
and Johnson County Public
Schools. The SRAC opened
in 2009.
After the Town Council
asked last month for money
to be added to the
proposed 2022-23 budget to
make employee salaries
more competitive, Town
Manager Mike Scott
proposed paying off those
SRAC loans from the town's
healthy General Fund
balance to free up
$441,612 required for
interest and principal
payments on those loans in
the year ahead.
With that and other tweaks
to his proposed budget,
Mr. Scott has come up with
an additional $680,000 the
council may use for salary
adjustments when the new
budget is finalized later
this month.
The council ratified the
SRAC loan payoffs during
its regular monthly
session Tuesday night. The
total amount due is
$2,284,875.75. The
original maturity dates
for the 20-year loans were
November 2027 and January
2028, which means the town
is saving well over
$400,000 in annual
debt-service expense over
the next six fiscal years.
The payoffs will reduce
the town's General Fund
balance at the end of
fiscal 2021-22 from
$11,248,279 last June 30
to a projected $8,963,403
at the end of this month.
At 55% of this year's
General Fund budget,
that's well above what's
recommended by the N.C.
Local Government
Commission.
68-unit townhouse project in West Smithfield
moves ahead
The
council granted
preliminary subdivision
approval to Whitley
Townes, a 68-unit
townhouse project on the
northeast side of West
Market Street beside the
abandoned Heilig-Meyers
and K-mart complex.
Councilman Scott voiced
concern about the unkempt
condition of the parking
lot and vacant store
buildings. Planning
Director Wensman said a
new owner has plans to
remake the property for
new commercial purposes in
the near future, and a
spokesman for the
developer stood up to
confirm that.
42
acres at Barbour Road
& 70 Business
rezoned for industry
Planning
Director Wensman said
there's no immediate plan
for development of the
site, which is across US
70 Business from Johnston
Regional Airport and not
far from the site of the
Amazon distribution center
that's nearing completion.
Former Legion Hut by the river under study
for renovations
The
council awarded a contract
to Mauer Architecture of
Raleigh to undertake a
renovation study for what
was originally built in
the 1930s to house
American Legion Post 132,
which later relocated to
newer quarters. The
present owner is the Town
of Smithfield, which
leases "The Hut" to the
Neuse Little Theatre. The
town's Parks and
Recreation Department
requested the study at a
cost not to exceed
$25,000.
48 smoke detectors installed in 24 homes last
weekend
Town
Manager Mike Scott
reported to the council
that the Smithfield Fire
Department installed 48
smoke alarms in 24
residences during "Smoke
Alarm Saturday" last
weekend and also
identified and "made safe"
several electrical outlet
problems, all done free of
charge.
Next budget session scheduled for the last
week of June
The
council recessed Tuesday's
meeting until 6:30 p.m.
Monday, June 27 to
continue working on the
town's 2022-23 budget,
which must be adopted by
the start of the new
fiscal year July 1. VIEW details
of the proposed budget
as it now stands>
"Trusted
by families since
1977"
840 S. Bright Leaf
Blvd. • 919-934-7164
• www.carrollpharmacy.com
Do
Good Foods will occupy
this building nearing
completion in the
Eastfield industrial
park between Selma and
Pine Level (Do Good
Foods website photo).
Incentives
lure 90+ higher-paying
jobs to Selma
During
a joint session Monday
afternoon, the Johnston
County Board of
Commissioners and the
Selma Town Council
approved property-tax
rebates for a company that
plans to produce animal
feeds from surplus
grocery-store food at a
plant in Selma's Eastfield
Crossing industrial park
under development east of
I-95.
To qualify for the
rebates, Do Good Foods LLC
must invest at least $38.5
million in the new
facility and employ at
least 90 employees an
average salary of $63,500
under terms of an
agreement adopted by both
governing bodies and the
company.
The rebates will amount to
50% of both county and
municipal taxes assessed
on "business personal
property" over a period of
seven years once the
facility is in operation.
After that, the company
will pay property taxes in
full without rebates.
Learn more about the
company on the Do
Good Foods website>
Commissioners
get extra budget
requests totaling $1.17
million
During
Monday's public hearing on
the proposed County of
Johnston budget for the
new fiscal year that
starts July 1,
commissioners heard
funding requests from
several organizations
operating outside the
purview of County
Government.
The Triangle Land
Conservancy
seeks $625,000 for six
unnamed projects
encompassing "at least 600
acres," said Leigh Ann
Hammerbacher, director of
land protection and
stewardship. She said more
than 1,800 acres along the
Neuse and Little rivers
were protected from
development this past
year, bringing total
Johnston County acreage
conserved by TLC "close to
5,000" since the
non-profit's establishment
almost 40 years ago.
"We will match all county
funding on at least a
one-to-one ratio," Ms.
Hammerbacher promised
commissioners.
The Town of
Princeton wants
$250,000 from the county
for a $2-million project
to replace its
"antiquated" community
building, Mayor Don Rains
told commissioners.
Besides providing more
space for gatherings, the
proposed 6,235-square-foot
structure would house the
Princeton Public Library,
which currently occupies a
small space inside
Princeton High School
that's not open to the
public outside normal
school hours, the mayor
pointed out.
The town got a major boost
when last year's N.C.
General Assembly approved
a $500,000 grant for the
project, Mr. Rains noted.
Another $108,000 in
donations has been raised,
he added.
Neal Davis, executive
director of Community
and Senior Services,
asked commissioners for an
additional $175,000 beyond
its normal budget request
to set up a
"micro-transit" pilot
program for J-CATS
(Johnston County Area
Transit System). He said
it would operate much like
the ubiquitous Uber taxi
service and enable persons
lacking access to personal
transportation to schedule
rides to jobs, schooling,
grocery stores, medical
clinics, and other needs.
A test run of six to eight
months would likely be
centered in the
Smithfield-Selma area and
later expanded throughout
the county with potential
federal aid, Mr. Davis
told commissioners. Part
of the $175,000 would be
required for software
necessary to set up the
scheduling system, he
noted.
Two other funding requests
heard Monday:
• ReEntry
seeks at least $100,000 in
the year ahead to continue
a state-mandated service
to convicted criminals
completing their prison
sentences and in need of
assistance in their return
to civilian life. Retired
Judge Addie Rawls made the
plea for county aid,
citing the state's
unwillingness to fund the
program.
• The Johnston
County Youth Advisory
Council wants
$20,000 to launch a "full
mentoring program" for
"very late-stage
high-school students" who
need one-on-one help in
preparing for their
futures, said council
member Taylor Kirks of
Johnston County Industries
Inc. The council completed
a pilot project at
Smithfield-Selma High
School this spring, Mr.
Kirks said.
The County Commissioners
have scheduled sessions at
6 p.m. next Monday and the
following Monday, June 20
to finalize numbers in the
budget proposed by County
Manager Rick Hester. VIEW details
of his proposal on the
county's website>
Commissioner
Smith voices opposition
to commuter rail
During
GoTriangle's update Monday
on the project's
feasibility study that's
still in the making,
Commissioner Fred Smith
said he doesn't believe
Johnston County has
sufficient population
density to support
commuter-rail service
extending from Durham to
Clayton. "We don't need
any trains," he declared.
"It is not a feasible,
realistic use of our
taxpayer funds in Johnston
County at this time."
Charles Lattuca, CEO of
GoTriangle – the region's
provider of commuter bus
service in Wake, Durham,
and Orange counties – told
commissioners the study
projects 12,000 train
riders per day by 2040
along the 43-mile corridor
that would bring service
within one mile of 27% of
the region's "affordable
housing." He said the
study also projects a gain
of 750,000 additional
residents driving 700,000
additional motor vehicles
across the region between
now and 2040.
Commissioner Smith said
he's not sold on commuter
rail because "there is no
model" for its success
anywhere in the region,
citing GoTriangle's
failure to launch a
proposed "light rail"
project in Durham and
Orange counties several
years ago.
Despite his opposition,
commissioners have not
made a decision on whether
the County of Johnston
will buy into construction
of whatever commuter-rail
scenario is eventually
recommended. So far, about
$9 million has been spent
on the feasibility study,
Mr. Lattuca noted.
Johnston County has
contributed $326,000 to
date.
VIEW
Monday's GoTriangle
report to the board (as
a PDF file)>
County
to help pay for another
synthetic field at
Clayton High
Commissioners
agreed to appropriate
$150,000 to pay the
balance Principal Bennett
Jones said is needed for
installation of a second
artificial-turf field at
his school. But they added
a condition that
out-of-town users of all
the school's athletic
facilities will pay the
same fees as Town of
Clayton residents.
The town and the Johnston
County Board of Education
each put up $500,000 last
year to pay for synthetic
turf at Clayton High's
football and soccer fields
so they can be used for a
variety of community-based
sports beyond scheduled
school activities.
Principal Jones said a
$250,000 grant from the
National Football League
supplemented those funds
to get the football field
replaced but there wasn't
enough left over to remake
the soccer field.
The county's $150,000
grant approved Monday is
contingent upon the
Clayton Town Council's
approval of a new user-fee
schedule that applies
equally to all of Johnston
County's residents and
organizations.
Commissioner Smith, who
made the motion to approve
the county's grant, said
he hopes the partnership
between the school system
and the town will become
"a model to make better
use of our school
facilities."
Appointments settled by ballots submitted
between sessions
As
they've done whenever the
number of applicants
exceeds positions
available, commissioners
voted by written ballots
following their morning
session to make the
following appointments
(the results were
announced at Monday's
evening session):
• Economic
Development Advisory
Board –
attorney Adam Caldwell of
Cleveland Township was
newly appointed (three
persons had applied for
the position).
• Voluntary
Agricultural District
Advisory Board
– J. Shepard Barbour Jr.
of Pleasant Grove Township
and Betty O. Woodall of
Smithfield Township were
reappointed while Jonathan
Hardee of Elevation
Township was newly
appointed (four persons
had applied).
Rezoning for cell tower denied; convenience
store on 42 approved
Commissioners
settled four land-use
rezoning cases at Monday's
evening session:
• By a vote of 6-0, they
denied a request for
rezoning that would have
allowed a cellular phone
tower beside Smith Road in
Cleveland Township. A
delegation of neighbors
from a nearby subdivision
objected to the proposed
tower location.
(Commissioner April
Stephens was recused from
voting because of a
potential conflict of
interest).
• By a vote of 6-1 (with
Commissioner Ted Godwin
dissenting), the board
approved rezoning to allow
a new convenience store at
the intersection of
highways 39 and 42 in
O'Neals Township.
Neighbors voiced concerns
about traffic and crime.
• The board unanimously
approved Community
Business zoning for a
small tract in the 14900
block of NC 210 in
Pleasant Grove Township.
• Also unanimously
approved was General
Business zoning for 35
acres at the intersection
of highways 42 and 50 in
Cleveland Township.
Smithfield
native is England's
"cheese rolling champ"
Abby
Lampe, who grew up in
Smithfield, celebrated her
recent graduation from
N.C. State University by
traveling to England,
entering the 2022 Cooper's
Hill Cheese Rolling and
Wake near Gloucester, and
winning the women's
competition! She's the
daughter of former
Smithfield Mayor John
Lampe and his wife Nancy.
Abby is a
great-granddaughter of the
late J. Harold Lampe, the
longest serving dean of
NCSU's School of
Engineering. Thanks
to Weekly Sun reader
June Lioret, a former
N.C. State employee, for
sending us the link to
the story and photo
published by NCSU News.
READ IT
HERE>
Hospital
receives yet another
change in name
It
opened as Johnston
Memorial Hospital in 1951,
then took on a new name –
Johnston Health –
following the County of
Johnston's decision to
join a partnership with
UNC Health in 2014. Now,
as part of UNC Health's
"new brand identity," the
Smithfield hospital along
with a newer facility in
Clayton is getting a new
name:
UNC Health
Johnston.
The new name along with a
new logo "reinforces UNC
Health's evolution into a
statewide health system
with a mission of serving
all North Carolinians with
expertise and emphathy,"
reads the announcement
from UNC Health. "The
transformational efforts,
called ONE UNC Health,
include new system values
alongside a unified
strategy, unified
operating model, and a
unified culture."
Johnston Memorial Hospital
was built by the County of
Johnston and operated for
63 years under supervision
of a Board of Trustees
appointed by the County
Commissioners. Under the
partnership with UNC
Health, today's governing
board includes
representatives of the
county as well as UNC
Health's administration.
In January 2021, the
partnership evolved into a
joint operating agreement
between Johnston's
hospitals and UNC REX of
Raleigh, also part of the
UNC Health system.
WHAT'S
COMING UP?
Movies
in the Park showing
"Goonies" this Saturday
It's
the second in a monthly
series open to the public
free of admission charge
at Smithfield Community
Park. Saturday's showing
of "The Goonies" starts at
8:30 p.m. Chic-fil-A, an
event sponsor, will have
chicken sandwiches
available for purchase,
yet "you're welcome to
bring your own picnic
items," advises the town's
Parks and Recreation
Department, which is
hosting the series.
School
board's monthly session
scheduled for Tuesday
The
meeting begins with a
closed session at 4 p.m.
immediately followed by
the regular open session
in the Evander S. Simpson
Building on US 70 Business
east of Smithfield. VIEW the
complete agenda once
it's posted online>
Town
Council makes Juneteenth
an official celebration
Recognizing
the historical fact that
African Americans in Texas
and other Southwestern
states didn't get the news
until June 19, 1865 that
the Civil War had ended
and all slaves were free,
the Smithfield Town
Council this week
proclaimed Sunday, June 19
as the day for this year's
celebration of Juneteenth,
which has evolved into a
nationwide commemoration.
Details of Smithfield's
upcoming celebration – on
Saturday the 18th – are
shown in the poster below:
DEATHS
& FUNERALS
Click
on the name to read an
obituary, usually posted
by the funeral home
AUDREY
STEPHENSON HOLT, 94
– died June 8
WALLACE
BERRY WARREN, 91 –
died June 5
EDWARD
MILTON DAVIS SR., 86
– died June 4
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE
EDITOR
Too
many cracked streets;
too few dollars to fix
'em
When
the Town of Smithfield
asked companies for bids
on this spring's list of
streets in need of
resurfacing, none of the
proposals came close to
staying within the
$194,000 budgeted for the
work. In fact, only one
project fell within the
budget: a half-mile
"milling down" and
resurfacing of
pothole-prone Outlet
Center Drive.
Sections of eight other
streets scheduled for
resurfacing would have to
wait.
That didn't sit well with
Councilman Travis Scott.
"We need to look at this a
little deeper," he said,
offering a motion to table
the matter until an
upcoming budget session.
The rest of the council
agreed.
This isn't a new problem.
The state's yearly
allocation of Powell Bill
funds for street work in
Smithfield and everywhere
else has been stagnant
while paving costs have
risen – a situation made
worse by the current bout
of inflation affecting
just about everything in
the worldwide marketplace.
So which streets take
priority for repaving just
now? The answer is there
are far more than eight or
nine of Smithfield's
roadways in dire need of
resurfacing. Could the
town not dip deeper into
its General Fund reserves
to get more done? Or is it
time for a street-repair
bond issue to put this
problem behind us?
Subscribers
to this edition: 1,353
MISS
A PREVIOUS EDITION?
Rewind
through the Weekly Sun's
archives
the SMITHFIELD
WEEKLY SUN
|
